The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing monocyrstalline thin films to be used in areas of semiconductor apparatus manufacturing, and more particularly, to improvements in a method of performing a monocrystallizing operation or single crystallizing operation, through the application of energy beams to a non-monocrystalline thin film such as a non-crystalline or amorphous or polycrystalline film formed on a non-crystalline insulation film.
A conventional method of manufacturing a monocrystalline thin film on a monocrystalline silicon base plate having a crystal direction coinciding therewith has been proposed. This method includes forming a non-crystalline or polycrystalline thin film on an insulating film which is formed on a monocrystalline silicon base-plate, i.e. a substrate, a performing a molten-recrystallizing operation by the application of energy beams on the thin film.
According to the conventional method, when the thickness of the insulating film is increased between the monocrystalline silicon base-plate and the non-crystalline or polycrystalline thin film to be monocrystallized, the monocrystalline or polycrystalline thin film near the insulating film flows into the insulating film when it is melted through the application of the energy beams causing the non-crystalline or polycrystalline thin-film to become thinner near the insulating film. Thus, crystal growth is not continuously conducted from the non-crystalline or polycrystalline thin film in the region which is in contact against the monocrystalline silicon base-plate and into the non-crystalline or polycrystalline thin film on the insulating film.
Also, if the insulating film increases in thickness and the size becomes larger with the monocrystalline silicon base-plate being stripe-shaped in form, the monocrystalline silicon base-plate and the base plate on the insulating plate largely differ in thermal conduction. The considerable temperature difference is caused in the non-crystalline or polycrystalline thin-film during the application of the energy beams so that the superior monocrystalline thin film is not provided. FIG. 6 shows a case where the form of the monocrystalline silicon base-plate is stripe-shaped or dot-shaped in a known manner. It has been determined that a superior molten condition is not provided in this case of the stripe-shaped base-plate.